by Arnold Sauther

North of Adirondack Artists Gallery (NOAAG), located next to the Key Bank in Malone, celebrated ten of North Country Community College's Emerging Artists until Saturday, April 30. Including a special spotlight on artist Devin White (Hogansburg, NY/Salmon River Central School) who will graduate in May with an AAS: Computer Graphics & Design, and will pursue an Art Studio BA with a concentration in Computer Graphics at SUNY Plattsburgh.

In Tina LaMour's Digital Painting class, White completed eight images representing each of the Mohawk clans: bear, deer, wolf, beaver, turtle, hawk, heron, and snipe. Most special to him, however, is the turtle of his own clan. He said he especially values this final portfolio since he was able to use his own ideas and design style.

To identify the eight clans in the Mohawk Tribe, White added two significant symbols to each image. First, placing three feathers in the renderings connects the totems to each other. His use of a specific symbol for each, such as a two-row wampum belt between the bear's ears, a dream catcher between the deer's antlers, and a full pale yellow moon just above the wolf's head, links it to its clan tradition. The overall effect of the added elements is both symbolic and decorative within an abstracted reality.

What White considered the hardest part in creating the totems was determining the right combination of bright and dark colors so that the background was not more powerful than the figure, but his skilled use of subtle color tones in each of the images enhances and unifies the contrasting elements. He said it took him a lot of time and determination to transfer what he imagined in his mind to the final image on paper.

White started with a pencil drawing on half of a standard 11" x 8.5" piece of paper that he scanned and then opened in Adobe Illustrator. He traced over the drawing, duplicated it, and reflected it vertically so that the symmetry was perfect. Once that was finished, he opened the image in Corel Painter, an Adobe software program integral to Digital Painting, and proceeded to add color section by section starting with the nose or beak and ending with the background.

Now added to the gallery's Red Wall is a third Mohawk clan totem entitled "Bear...OHKWÁ:RI", a bold graphic interpretation in the stylized approach White used so successfully with the two images already there, titled Deer..."OSKENÓN:TON" and "Wolf...OKWÁHO". The brown modulations in Bear make its monochromatic color scheme artistically appealing. Particularly noticeable is its intense but inviting stare. By looking into its eyes, you can experience a powerful and immediate connection with a wild animal.

The striking visual appeal of White's totems may result from his design decision to have flat outlined shapes curve symmetrically around facial features. In addition, his apparent and recurrent use of a crisp white line brightens and emphasizes each rendering both within and without.

You are invited to NCCC's Annual Celebration of the Arts Exhibit/Reception/Friday, May 6, from 5 to 7, Malone Campus/Mezzanine Gallery to see more works by the "emerging artists" on exhibit at NOAAG.

Pic. 1. Devin White's portrayal of the four clans. Devin graduates this May from North Country Community College.